No, no, no...haven't you guys heard this before? Ray Kroc's first beloved sweetheart was killed when a huge burlap sack full of onions fell on her and smothered her. From that day forward he vowed never to support the onion industry and only reluctantly allowed chopped onions to be added to McDonald's burgers. My grandmother's friend's daughter had a boyfriend whose sister's friend worked at McDonald's.

My guess is they are more trouble to cook and prepare. And because the rings are all different sizes, quality control on cooking time may present a problem.

Pogue

Burger King manages to have onion rings though, and have had them for at least 20 years. Their onion rings are all between one and two inches across, and they don't seem to have any problem obtaining them.

It is possible that McD's tried offering Onion Rings in test markets at one point but they didn't do well enough to make it a permanent part of the menu.

And as for the UK offering Onion Rings. I think it is a regional thing too. My folks were travelling in upper Michigan and they stopped at a McD that also offered Brats with Sauerkraut on a bun. And I have heard that depending on the country your version of dipping sauce(i.e. ketchup) for your fries may vary. Some places I have heard that the ketchup is more like tomato paste.

Mmmm, actually onion rings are starting to sound pretty good right now.

It is possible that McD's tried offering Onion Rings in test markets at one point but they didn't do well enough to make it a permanent part of the menu.

And as for the UK offering Onion Rings. I think it is a regional thing too. My folks were travelling in upper Michigan and they stopped at a McD that also offered Brats with Sauerkraut on a bun. And I have heard that depending on the country your version of dipping sauce(i.e. ketchup) for your fries may vary. Some places I have heard that the ketchup is more like tomato paste.

Mmmm, actually onion rings are starting to sound pretty good right now.

McDonalds does have regional specialties. I usually get an All American Meal, which, I found I could not get in Kentucky.

And yes, it varies by country too. In the Netherlands, they have a special fry sauce. Also, you get mayo with your fries as well, which is standard. Ketchup, you must ask for. It's more than dipping sauces though - in the Netherlands, you can get a McKroket (which, is quite yummy!). Most countries have at least one menu item that is an off take of the regional cuisine I have been told.

Due to the extra layers of processing required onion rings are inherintly less cost effective then french fries.

Stores like Burger King, Arby's or White Castle (all offer some kind of onion side dish) make those offerings even though their food cost is higher because they are chasing McDonalds and need a differntiated product.

McDonalds, holding the larger market share can be more choosy in what they offer.

Like Avis, Burger King is #2 and so they have to try harder (hence have it your way, and other non cost effective ways to get you in the store).

In the UK or Canada for example McDonalds may not be the major player in the market and need a unique offering to intice customers. Likewise, regional tastes may be such (as with poutine) where McDonalds must offer the product because it is traditional.

In America nearly everyone sells french fries not because it's a particularly good side dish, but because it's our regional taste. We might prefer something else, but we would still be shocked to order a burger and not have the option of fries with that.

Speaking of regional--the McD's on Oahu sells pineapple with their meals--breakfast and lunch meals. You can get fries AND pineapple with your combo lunches and get pineapple with those big breakfasts they sell...

In America nearly everyone sells french fries not because it's a particularly good side dish, but because it's our regional taste. We might prefer something else, but we would still be shocked to order a burger and not have the option of fries with that.

I'm wondering just how much of this is a tradition predating McD's (or others) and how much is just habit from decades of fast food meals. I realize that diners serve (and probably used to, but that's before my time ) fries with burgers and similar meals, but I suspect McD's, Big Boy, and others served to reinforce the "need" to have fries with a meal - or at least made them far more popular than they might have been otherwise.

Burger King manages to have onion rings though, and have had them for at least 20 years. Their onion rings are all between one and two inches across, and they don't seem to have any problem obtaining them.

Burger King manages to have onion rings though, and have had them for at least 20 years. Their onion rings are all between one and two inches across, and they don't seem to have any problem obtaining them.

Burger King onion rings are not actually onion rings, though. They are dehydrated onion made back into a paste and extruded into onion ring shapes, of several different sizes so that they don't look like the nasty disgusting fayke fuude (tm) that that actually are. Ew. Ick. I'm sure it makes it much cheaper and easier to cook them, which of course is much more important that other factors such as, oh, say, TASTE.

Sonic onion rings, on the other hand, are next to heaven, and are genuine, real slices of actual onion. Mmm, I want some Sonic onion rings and a cherry limeade just THINKING about them. Sonic also takes a lot longer to serve your food (despite the name) than BK or McD's but it's worth the wait.

I don't know why Mcd's doesn't make onion rings, but if they did, I imagine they'd be that disgusting fake shaped onion paste extruded product that Burger King offers instead of actual onion rings.

Last edited by snapdragonfly; 30 January 2007 at 11:32 PM.
Reason: omg! spanked by songs78 by one minute!

Burger King manages to have onion rings though, and have had them for at least 20 years. Their onion rings are all between one and two inches across, and they don't seem to have any problem obtaining them.

Since Burger King's onion ring do not have a ring of onion in them. Should they even be aloud to call them a onion ring. They are onions that have been ground up prossed and them shapped like a ring. Did I mention that I hate the taste as well.

Dairy Queen has great onion rings. I know Jack-in-the-Box use to have good onion rings as well. Since I have not eaten their onion rings in years, I do not know how they are now. I'm thinking about jumping in the car right now and finding out if they have changed.

McDonald's used to sell something close to an onion ring as a side ... they were just little pieces of deep-fried onion, not in a ring, called "onion nuggets" or something along those lines (google search turns up nothing). I can remember eating them there as a kid, along with the McPizza, shamrock shake and other items that seemed to have later dropped off the menu.